On the Road Again….Pet Travel Tips

Traveling in style is always important but so is traveling safe! You always buckle your seat belt in the car, right?  You don’t talk on the phone without your headset, which wasn’t an issue for me since I had no phone service!  Anyway, I use these amazing car seats that Angelo loves. They strap securely into the seat with the seat belt. Then they have a strap that goes from the seat belt to the dogs harness. So if you make a fast turn, stop short or are in an accident, your pooch is safe.Besides safety, these seats are super comfortable, and they raise the dog up so they can see out the window while you’re driving. In the picture you can see that I attached the optional Food and Water Tray so Angelo has plenty of water when he gets thirsty during the trip.  These carseats are Lookout Carseats by Snoozer Pet Products and your can find them at http://www.spoileddogdesigns.com/collections/and-automobiles. They come in small, medium and Buddy size which I use when all five of my Chihuahuas are traveling.

Here’s a tip: Only fill the Food and Water Tray half full of water. When Angelo shakes, as he loves to do, he usually creates such a rattle that water shakes out if I fill the tray all the way to the top. But half full is plenty of water to keep him happy and he can shake all he wants and not shake out the water.  You can imagine how great it is not having to try to get water out when he’s thirsty, open the bottle, pour it into something and bend my arm around to give him a drink while I’m driving on a desert back road. Talk about dangerous!

• Leash – I need to be able to walk him when we stop for gas
• Pick-up bags – He poops, I scoop
• Treats – I know I have to buy him off at sometime during the trip
• Bully Stick – Angelo doesn’t play with toys but he likes to chew on Bully Sticks which are 100% digestible and act like dental floss so I bring one for the ride.
• His Sunglasses – if the sun is shining directly into our eyes, he will want to wear his sunglasses because it hurts his eyes. (More on this in another post)
• A blanket or towel – Its hot in the desert (so why do I need a blanket, you’re wondering?) and the sun can be really hot shining in the window. So if that happens, I may want to use the blanket to make some shade for Angelo to sit under to avoid the direct sun.
• Plenty of extra water. What if we break down and it take AAA a while to get to us on those back roads? Its a hot summer day – we may not be able to run the car so we may not have air conditioning. We need plenty of extra water.